


Of Relativity, the Beach, and Confusing SEALs

by mara_joy



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, Introspection, M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-26
Updated: 2011-11-26
Packaged: 2017-10-26 13:34:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/283770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mara_joy/pseuds/mara_joy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny could bust his brain through the Theory of Relativity, but trying to reason through Commander SuperSeal dipping his toes in the sand? He was having a hard time with that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Relativity, the Beach, and Confusing SEALs

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for Table Prompt #17:Beach on my [LJ](http://mara-joy.livejournal.com/). This is my first fic in a few years, I have written a few for Supernatural but then my muse left me for a cute, curvy blonde. Hawaii Five-0 and all of its lovely has been making me twitch for a year and it seems Ms. Muse is back to give it another go. I hope you enjoy!

Danny just couldn’t wrap his head around it. He couldn’t freaking understand it. Of all the damn things. Theory of Relativity? He could aneurysm his way through it. Balancing chemical equations? It would take a while, but he could do it. Working through the appeal of pineapples—and okay, maybe shave ice was nice—on every damn thing on this island? He was making progress.

But this? He just couldn’t find the logic in this.

How the hell does anybody, even somebody of questionable mental stability, go from explosions and assault rifles and _why the hell is there a grenade launcher next to my spare tire Steven?!_ to quietly standing on the water’s edge, dipping his toes into the sand and occasionally drawing abstract patterns.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Steve as Steve watched those little designs fade with every touch of a wave. He just looked as Steve dipped his head back, watched as the breeze blew gently through his hair, ruffling the short strands a little.

How anybody can go from endless and barely controlled energy— _Seriously, McGarrett? How did the Army control you long enough for missions, you Energizer Bunny on crack?_ —to this kind of stillness, this kind of calm so completely?

They’ve had harder weeks. Much shittier calls. Nobody died this week and the people who needed to be locked up, were. All in all, it was a good week. There were only three high-speed chases, one occasion of jumping off a balcony, and one instance of scaling up a wall that had preceded the balcony jumping— _Steve, stay! Stay! Do not-Goddamn it, Steven! You’re paying for my knee replacement in 10 years, do you understand me?_ _!_

Kono was probably out surfing, Chin was on a date with Malia, and his beautiful daughter would be commandeering his life in just less than 24 hours.

So yeah, it was a damned good week.

As he looked at his partner now, he saw shoulders usually too damn tense were now drooping in relaxation; he saw eyes that were usually too damn tight now were just gazing out over the ocean, content and unbothered.

He thought he was beginning to understand how Steve could be so involved with the water. He was beginning to see his partner was never this at peace anywhere else. It was as if the ocean just took away all those burdens of the last 16 years, and Steve was able to just be there, free-floating, the weight not his for just a moment.

As Steve lips curled upwards, Danny wondered if the other man was even aware he was doing it. He wondered if Steve knew just how damn beautiful he was— _and oh Jesus Christ, seriously?_ —with the ocean in front of him and the ghosts of the past behind him. With his eyes only half opened and his smile small, Danny wondered if Steve had any idea what he was doing to him.

He found himself taking a step toward his partner, one step then two until less than a foot separated them.

His stomach knotted as Steve opened his eyes and turned his head in his direction. Those damned eyes were half-lidded and darkened with…Danny didn’t really know but it caused all kinds of twists and pulls in his gut.

“You are something else, you know that?”

Steve’s smile was soft. “Why do you say that?”

“Here you are,” Danny waved his hands in front of them, “standing on a fucking beach, with your toes in the sand, the sunset making you all pretty. Do you know what you look like? I gotta say, babe, Uncle Sam’s supersoldier Ninja-slash-Aquaman is way, way, way down the list.”

That damned smile turned lazy. “You know what they say, brah. No shoes, no shirt.”

Danny rolled his eyes and couldn’t help the laugh. He nodded his head downwards to where the water was soaking through his pant legs. “You got the ‘no shoes’ part babe.”

Teeth glinted at him and blue-gray eyes crinkled. Damn the man. “Aww but Danno, no dinner first? I ain’t that kind of girl.”

Somehow his hand found its way to Steve’s face, thumb brushing inches from those grinning lips. Danny swallowed thickly when Steve leaned into the touch.

“The hell you’re not. You can’t keep the damn thing on.” He couldn’t have kept the affection out his voice if his life depended on it.

The bastard winked. “Admit it, Danno. You like it.”

“Anything you drag out of me will be inadmissible in court. Confessions made under duress.”

How could this man who he had seen do things that would’ve impressed Rambo, look like that? Like he was 20 years younger, like he hadn’t lived through his mother’s murder, like he hadn’t listened to the gunshot that killed his father, like the last sixteen years of traipsing all over the globe blowing places and people up never happened.

Like all he’d ever known was happiness and everything he ever needed in the world was right in front of him. Tied with a ribbon made of napalm and attached to a remote detonator.

“What are we doing?” Danny just whispered it, he didn’t need to say it any louder. His vision was full of Steve and the warmth of his partner’s breath was brushing over his lips. “What is this? This thing.”

Steve had taken a step closer to him, if he were take a deep breath, their chests would’ve touched. “What do you want it to be, Danno?”

That stupid face of his was stupid. Hopeful, like a damn lab puppy smiling and huffing for some attention. Those big eyes were all but twinkling, and seriously? This is was his big, bad-ass backup? This was his Neanderthal animal, dangerous-weapons-stowing SuperSeal of a colleague?

He just didn’t understand it.

“You are ridiculous, my friend. Just straight up ridiculous.” He knew his voice was fond. He couldn’t help it. He was an affectionate person by nature.

Steve just continued to look at him— _down_ at him, the too-tall freak of nature. His expression turned thoughtful. And Danny would not have expected what came next.

“I also kind of love you, you know?”

Danny’s mouth just dropped and he wondered if the wind had picked up because all he could hear was the rushing of air. It was a vague thought, as was his thinking that those eyes staring so intently at him were the same color as the waters that were now up to their ankles.

“You,” his voice surprised him, “you…” He didn’t know how to continue. For once, his words failed him.

And he prided himself on his words, damn it. The bastard.

But his hands could be just as wordy as his mouth. So he bunched one into Steve’s t-shirt, gripped the back of Steve’s neck with the other and pulled him in.

He could feel the other man’s grin under his lips before his own tongue wiped it off.

Of course Steve kissed like he did everything else. All in, explosive, and without any thought to proper procedure. And thank god for it, Danny thought. Screw procedure, procedure was boring. This?

This was so, so, so not boring.

Steve ravaged his mouth. Assaulted his way through and Danny just thought, _we’ve wasted so much time. Why the hell did we put this off for so fucking long?_

“You stupid, stupid man.” Danny ripped their mouths apart. But just for a second. “What am I going to do with you?”

This time, the kiss was soft. This time, Steve just took his time. Damned if he still didn’t feel the concussion of it into his soul. Danny breathed it in eagerly, like the ocean had come up over him and he couldn’t get his air any other way.

“Ok, I get it.” Danny managed when they separated again.

Steve looked confused. “Huh?”

“Maybe the beach isn’t so bad after all.”

He could spend the rest of his life feeling the curve of his partner’s smile against his lips. He could breath in the laugh that Steve so gently let out, tomorrow and the day after and all the days that followed.

Tomorrow, his little girl would be here. She would be bouncing the entire way over, asking when Uncle Steve was going to be Step Steve _because Daddy, he looks at you like mommy and Step Stan do now that they’re not fighting anymore and they saw the picture of the baby._ Tomorrow, he will bet that Steve will be bouncing just as much as Gracie, will be just as excited as Gracie, will drop to his knees as soon as his daughter throws the front door open with his arms wide open, eager for the hugs Gracie does so well.

Tomorrow, while his partner and his angel— _and really, how is it possible to love two people so totally_ —were down here again, at the water’s edge, he thought he’d join them.

Because the beach really wasn’t so bad after all.


End file.
